Supermarket Single
by SiennaBrown
Summary: This was supposed to be a one-shot, so chapter one is based on a dream that I had. Everything after that is an added bonus, lol. Ladybug and Chat Noir are on patrol when Chat decides to stop for a drink. Nothing good comes of this.
1. Chapter 1

Chat stared at the bargain sodas in the large supermarket, trying to figure out which one would taste the best. He had to get back to the patrol soon. Ladybug would scold him if he took longer than ten minutes, and he was already planning out his witty response. Adrien settled on a peach soda and trotted back to the front of the store where self checkout was. It took three tries to scan the soda correctly. The machine wouldn't accept his euro until the fifth try. He sighed. Maybe it would have been faster just to go through normal checkout.

"Please don't forget my son's samurai movie. I set it down behind the books."

Chat almost ignored the mother's voice, but his ears pricked up at the noise of a child sniffling. He frowned and looked around the self checkout machine.

He was surprised nobody had tried to get his attention sooner. The mother had clearly been akumatized. Her makeup was bright green, her outfit was business-like yet villainous, and she had several of the store's products floating around her head. The child sniffled again, clearly holding back on a full-blown tearfest. Adrien made eye contact with the obviously confused cashier. He put a finger over his lips and hid behind the self checkout sign. The blond wasn't sure exactly what this akuma's powers were, and it was really always best to call Ladybug in for help anyway.

He pressed the green pawprint on his staff and waited for Ladybug to pick up.

"Chat, I told you I didn't want anything, so why are you-"

Adrien rolled his eyes, "my Lady, I hate to interrupt but there is an akuma in here. Just thought that, since we're on patrol and all, that you may want to come help me with this?"

"O-oh. Sorry, I'll be right there!"

"If you come in like you're only shopping she might not register it as a threat. She doesn't even know I'm-" a loud scream interrupted him. He whirled around, just in time to see the cashier get flung into a display of chips.

"Scratch that, get in here." He hung up and extended his staff. The woman's makeup was glowing, and she was hovering a few feet off the ground. Her son clung to her hip, crying.

"You worthless garbage, you've bruised my bananas! Putting them in the bag with the books like that, how dare you! I've spent all day at work dealing with ungrateful men. I didn't think I would have to teach such a lowlife how to do her job!"

Chat frowned. He couldn't tell what the special object was that had caused her to transform. Her son sobbed loudly. The blond trotted over and tapped her on the shoulder with his staff. She twisted, confusion evident on her face despite the anger.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to inform you, but I can't help but feel like you're-" Her eyebrows quirked, cutting off his air supply midsentence.

"I know who you are, Chat Noir. And I owe somebody that Miraculous on your finger." Her makeup glowed, like she was trying to use telekinesis to remove his ring. He could barely tell that it didn't work over his need for oxygen.

"Well, that didn't work. Honey, would you do the honors?" The small child sniffles, but reached out and took Adrien's ring. His transformation fell apart just as Ladybug crashed through the window and kicked the akuma out of the air. He sucked in lungfuls of air, though he still couldn't move his legs.

"Adrien, run!"

"Would if I could, honestly!" He barely managed to gasp.

"Do you really think that you can defeat me when my son is here? You would have to think again. The Miraculous Ladybug, huh?"

He managed to move one of his legs, then the other. It was like moving through soup. He glanced up, realizing that Ladybug was now also having trouble moving.

"And what should I call you?"

The woman laughed, "I am Super Single. But you won't get to talk to me for long." She quirked her eyebrows again, causing Ladybug to gape like a fish. Adrien suddenly had full use of his legs. He grabbed a bouncy ball from it's elastic and PVC prisonby the windows, and pegged it as hard as he could at Super Single. She glowed an even brighter green as it stopped by her head. He threw another one.

"Let Ladybug go!" He chucked another ball, which nearly hit the akuma. Ladybug dropped to the floor, arms clawing at her throat. He had to get his ring back. He had to help her!

He chucked a bag of charcoal brickettes, which made Super Single drop the bouncy balls. He basically threw the whole front display of the store at her, causing a mountain of products to fall to her feet as she fought to stop the most fatal blows. He finally was able to hit her in the head with a plastic lawn chair because he threw it at the same time as a tank of propane. His arms were so tired, but he heard Ladybug gasping, so his mission was accomplished. He sprinted forward, grabbed his superhero accomplice, and ran for the door.

The sliding door that wouldn't open. He groaned and turned, sprinting for the shelves and racks of supermarket goodies. Ladybug clung to his shirt.

"Adrien, I think the akuma is in her son." He nearly stopped running.

"What?" His heart had already been pounding adrenaline through his veins, but now it picked up the pace. An akuma had never gone into a living being before, it had always been an object. He ran through the door near the restrooms that said "employees only" and kept going.

"That's impossible, it's only ever been non-living objects. Are you sure it's not her makeup?" She shook her head.

"Put me down, I can run." He did as she asked, then they both escaped through the loading dock.

"His eyes were totally black. Almost like a zombie. I think he's actually dead." Adrien came to a stop.

"That's…"

Ladybug turned around, nothing but fear in her blue eyes.

"I don't think I can 'break' this akuma."


	2. Chapter 2

"By the way, you're not going to tell me who you are under the mask?" He grinned, but it faltered at the scathing look she gave him.

"Now is not the time for flirting. And, no. I'm not going to tell you who I am. Not yet." She flicked her eyes towards the ground, her features a wash of grey in the twilight.

"She hasn't left the supermarket yet."

"Why would she? She knows I'm out here."

Adrien sighed, "she also knows that she can kick both of our asses, too."

"She can only control one person at a time, though. If she tries to maneuver two at a time, she gets weaker." Ladybug tapped her chin thoughtfully, "but even if we get her son away, I can't hurt a child. It's so much different when the akuma is in a pair of glasses, or a phone."

The blonde looked down. This was probably the worst akuma they'd ever fought against. He didn't even have his ring.

"You don't have to be the one to do that."

"Adrien, no-"

"So what are we supposed to do, let this near super-saiyan terrorize Paris? My Lady, if we can get my Miraculous back, I'll deal with the akuma and you can do your healing cleanse thing. It'll be fine."

She wrapped her arms around herself, "and if the child really did die before getting akumatized?"

"You're trying to make me feel bad for the mother." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, heart sinking slowly.

"Death is normal, Ladybug. We can't soften the blow. But, we can protect the people who are still alive. That's our job."

The red-clad superhero across from him sniffed.

"I know."

She had kept her distance until then, but her watery blue eyes caught his green ones and begged for comfort. He gave her a small smile and reached his arms out for a hug. Adrien stared down at the supermarket as Ladybug cried on him. He didn't really want to do this either, but he would spare her whatever agony he could.

All he needed now was his Miraculous.

* * *

 _You're just giving them time to figure out how to defeat you._

Single gently swept her son's bangs out of his forehead. He sniffled, a habit he's had while… She blinked back tears.

"I know, Hawkmoth. That lawn chair hit me a little harder than I thought." She kissed her son's forehead.

"And this will really work?" Her son clung to her like a koala. But he didn't make noise or babble the way he used to.

 _I promise you._

She gently stood up, careful not to jostle her son.

"Then I have only one more Miraculous to get." Single focused on her powers, drawing strength from the fact that her son could be saved.

Like the accident had never happened.

She glowed a sickly green, hovered to the front door, and shattered it with nothing but a thought. The mother hovered out into the crisp air, senses on alert.

Ladybug was nowhere to be found. Chat Noir was also nowhere, which made sense. What could a superhero do without his super powers?

The easiest way to get the other Miraculous was to wreak as much havoc as possible. Super Single grinned. That would be as easy as cake.

* * *

Ladybug followed the trail of destruction from one end of Paris to the other. Her Lucky Charm was going to have a lot of work to do. Adrien was on Super Single's trail as well, though Marinette was feeling way too many emotions about that. She put the thought out of her head and decided to call him Chat Noir for now. She would be able to feel conflicted after they defeated this akuma.

There, a flash of green light in an alleyway! The black-haired girl skidded over the rooftop she was running along and slid into the alleyway. Super Single loomed, child on her hip. Marinette gulped. Adrien was crumpled on the ground.

 _Check on him later. You have a job to do._ She set her mouth into a stern frown.

"What kind of mother injures so many innocent citizens?"

Super Single touched the ground, makeup glowing even more fiercely than before.

"A desperate one."

Ladybug threw her yo-yo as the woman began to concentrate on stopping the young hero's lungs from working. Marinette ran forward, reaching for the woman's purse. Surely Chat's ring would be-

Her yo-yo hit, she snagged the woman's purse, and then her legs stopped working.

"Shit!" She tried to run, failed. She looked up at Super Single, heart racing. The woman glowed green, fluorescent and ill. Marinette threw the purse at Adrien.

"Don't swear in front of my son, please."

Mariette's throat closed up, and she tried not to panic. Hard to do when unable to move or breathe.

"Ah, your earrings. I think I'll just confiscate those." Marinette shook her head, sweat popping out on her skin.

"Try and stop me, little girl. That purse is empty, boy."

Adrien's voice sounded from behind Ladybug's head, "I can see that. Don't you need to carry pads and a wallet or something?"

Marinette would have blushed if she wasn't already bright red from lack of air. A hand brushed against her hair, tugged an earring out of her earlobe, then drew back. Half of her lit up, Tikki losing hold of the transformation.

"No!" Footsteps pounded the cobblestone street as flecks of light and shapes crowded the red-clad superhero's vision.

Adrien appeared to fly as he moved, his hands wrapping around the child's waist. Single's face warped into a horrified expression. Her makeup ceased to glow and Marinette dragged in as much air as she could. Her knees gave out, but Adrien grabbed her and ran.

"Okay, Ladybug. We have the kid and your other earring, where am I going?"

Marinette stared at her useless legs, one of which was bare skin instead of suited up. At least she was still mostly covered.

"There! That alleyway." She hadn't meant to shout. It would be easier if they were in close range. Super Single had the advantage at a distance. Telekinetic abilities were hard to work around. Adrien sprinted for it, then ducked behind a dumpster.

"Here's your earring." He held out a hand. She took a moment to breathe, then accepted her earring and tucked it back into her ear. Her leg stayed bare. She supposed Tikki was tired enough to de-transform the whole way, so she thanked her lucky stars that her kwami was still holding on.

"Check the boy's pockets. Your ring might be-" she saw the flash of silver as Adrien reached into the child's hoodie pocket. She smiled, then remembered how royally screwed they were.

Adrien transformed, black suit a comfort to her eyes.

"There's my kitty." Whoops, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Of course, my Lady. Now, look away because you obviously don't want to see a child get hurt- oh shit."

Marinette turned to see Super Single at the mouth of the alleyway. She looked absolutely livid. Her hair was coming loose from it's bun, her businesslike pencil skirt was ripped. Ladybug pulled her yo-yo out and threw it into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" The akuma victim rushed forward, makeup glowing as bright as the sun. Marinette couldn't move as the red and black spotted knife fell back towards her. Her legs were locked into place. Super Single screamed, arms reaching forward as the child sniffled behind her.

Suddenly, Single dropped to her hands and knees, her transformation falling apart. Marinette didn't turn around. A clawed hand gently tucked the knife back into her red gloved one.

She threw the object into the air, "Miraculous Ladybug." She was normally more joyous when defeating a villain. She just couldn't. Marinette used her yo-yo to catch the akuma, then let the cleansed butterfly dance away.

"Chat?"

"Yeah, Ladybug?"

"Is the boy alive?"

He didn't answer. She supposed that she didn't need him to. A choked sob rose up from the ground. Marinette felt her chest constrict, an uncomfortable reminder that they had to deal with more than just the physical aftermath.

"He told me… that I was his h-hero…"

Ladybug blinked back tears, unsure of what to say. Or do.

"You were." Adrien's voice sounded so firm and sure. He stepped forward as Mariette's earrings beeped.

"I never was! I-" the woman sat up, tears leaving streaks of mascara down her face. Her hands sat loosely in her lap.

"I didn't supervise him well enough. When he was in his room, I thought- I thought he would be safe." Fresh grief made a new wave of tears fall.

"I thought that your Miraculous could bring him back. That they could give me a chance to really be his hero. That he would smile at me… even just one more time." Her voice broke into new sobs.

"But I really am just a failure!"

Mariette's earrings beeped again. She stared at the ground, tears filling and spilling from her own eyes.

"No, you're not." Adrien was crouched next to the woman, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're a single mom who was doing her best. Look, I don't blame you for falling in with Hawkmoth. Even a glimpse of hope in the face of death feels better than never seeing someone again. But you can't bring back the dead."

The woman sobbed again.

"Then w-what am I supposed to do? My parents disowned me for having a son without-"

"You don't have to go back to them. If your parents were that upset, then don't even think of them. Be selfish for a while. Take time to plan a funeral and heal. You can still do anything, be anybody's hero. Use this experience as fuel to make the world a better place."

Marinette heard her earrings beep again. She had to get out of there.

"Here, I'll walk you home." Adrien helped the woman up, then glanced back at Ladybug.

"You should go, too. I'll be suited up for a while, so feel free to call me if you need me."

Marinette nodded, watched as he shuffled out of the alley with the woman, then stood there with tears in her eyes until her transformation came undone.

"You know, usually if you lose an eating I can't keep the suit on you."

Marinette didn't respond.

"There's no body back here."

Marinette just shook her head and started walking to the entrance of the alley, "I don't want to think about this. Can we just go home?"

The kwami floated over, then tucked herself into Mariette's purse.

"Okay, Marinette. Whatever you think is best." She barely remembered the trip. She definitely didn't remember walking up to her room and flopping on the bed. And she most definitely did not text Adrien about being Ladybug.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! This was supposed to be a one shot but I got so many people asking for more that I figured "why not?" Sorry about there being some inconsistencies (for example, large Wal-Mart like shopping centers in Paris and losing earrings), but it was based on a dream and I am American so ha ha, whoops I guess. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Her name was Sage. That was all he was able to get out of the weeping woman before she couldn't speak around the lump in her throat. That was fine. Adrien didn't know what to say beyond what he'd already mentioned. The most he could manage was to get her home. After that, he needed to think.

The blonde blinked, after images of the child's blank face staring at him from the abyss. Yeah, he had a lot of thinking to do.

"Left here, and I'm the third apartment on the right hand side of the street."

"Sure thing, Sage."

She tensed up at the door, which made him worry.

"He should still be…"

"Inside?" He felt her nod rather than saw it. Her shoulders shook. He rubbed her back, trying his best to be comforting.

"I'll call an ambulance or something. That way you can go in and not worry about anything."

She shook her head, "They're going to ask me why I didn't call sooner! I can't-"

Adrien gave her a hug. She cried a little more.

"I'll talk to the police. I'm a superhero, they have to listen to me." Sage nodded, sleek bun marred by loose, wiry curls that bounced out of their bobby pins.

So, even though all he wanted to do was go home and cry for a solid ten hours, he called the proper emergency number and asked for help. The police arrived first and were considerably understanding of the situation. The officer who arrived first had brought hot cocoa and doughnuts to share, and asked a few pertinent questions without upsetting Sage any more than he had to. When the medical officials stopped by, Chat Noir could feel his kwami start to complain about how long he had been transformed.

He stayed and answered questions. The main one was _why didn't Sage call before getting akumatized?_ He didn't really have an answer beyond _there wasn't really time for anything else._ They didn't charge the grieving mother with any crimes, which was helped along by the fact that one of the heroes of Paris was vouching for her. They asked where Ladybug was, which he honestly answered that she was at home. This had been one of their longer fights, and it was a miracle he wasn't in bed yet.

The officials took the child's body from his room, murmuring to each other about what a shame the whole thing was. His chat ears were way better than they needed to be. One of Sage's neighbors had come out because of the commotion and was draping a fuzzy peach blanket over the woman's shoulders.

"Thank you so much, Chat Noir. I'll look after her now, you go on home." He smiled gratefully, then crouched down next to Sae one last time.

"Hey, here's my number if you ever need to call. My mother died when I was younger, and I got through it by talking to people." He held out a business card with his cell scribbled over the bottom portion. It was all he had on him. Sage reached out and took the card with shaky brown hands.

"You've done so much already…"

"Just because I've done one thing doesn't mean I can't offer more. Seriously, if things get tough, call me. I'm happy to help."

She sniffed, eyes welling up with a few more tears before he waved his goodbyes to the remaining emergency crews and began his long trek home via sidewalk. It was late. Very late. A few streets away, Plagg gave up on their transformation and dropped dramatically into Adrien's pocket.

"Hawkmoth went too far this time."

Adrien shrugged, "it's no different than usual."

"Breaking glasses and phones and bubble wands doesn't cause bleeding or emotional scarring."

The blond felt his stomach roil angrily as unbidden memories swirled through his brain. Plagg stiffened as though he could tell.

"Sorry, Adrien, but it's true. You shouldn't have had to do that. Kwami's and our miraculous powers have been given to unworthy souls in the past, but this was a first for me. I'm still a little unsettled by it."

The young model shook his head, "only a little unsettled?"

The kwami poked his chest. Adrien shrugged it off. The silence extended into the minute and a half marker before Plagg said one last thing.

"I'm proud of you. You did a lot of tough stuff back there."

The blond let the corners of his mouth turn up, "I'm just glad that everything worked out… Kind of." His breath hitched in his throat, nearly eating his last comment. He pressed his fingers to his eyes, a futile attempt at keeping his cheeks dry. The blond slowed to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, quiet sobs taking over the evening air.

"That k-kid wasn't more than, like, four." He saw the red and black spotted knife fly into his hand in slow-motion, remembered how his heart had stopped because he didn't know what to do with it. Ladybug hadn't had time to formulate a plan. He hadn't had time to think, and all he had was a sharp instrument of death. The child's dead eyes as he leaned over. The panicked shouting that Sage had made when she realized that she was too late.

Fresh tears soaked his hands and flowed down his face. Adrien's stomach turned before he could think about how much blood there had been. He coughed, forcing himself to stop freaking out. Calm breathing didn't happen for a solid few minutes. Plagg just looked at him, sadness on every shape of the kwami's face.

"I can't do this."

"Do what, cry on the sidewalk?"

"Plagg, not funny."

"I know, I'm sorry. Look, just get home, take a shower, and go to bed. It'll feel more distant in the morning."

Adrien wasn't so sure that that was true, but he did as he was told. It wasn't until he got out of the shower and struggled into his pajamas that he saw a text message notification. The blonde frowned, then double-tapped the screen.

It was from Marinette. She never texted him. He skimmed over the message.

 _Hey, couldn't sleep. Hbu?_

The blond scooped up the phone and wandered back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and rub moisturizer into his skin. He might be tired, but he knew how awful acne could be and wanted to avoid it as best as possible. Not that it was the most important thing to be worried about when- No.

 _Same. been a weird day smh._

He never got a text back. She was a shy girl, he didn't blame her for not continuing the conversation. All the same, it would have been a welcome distraction. He spat out the foamy toothpaste, applied his beauty products, then flopped into his bed. He drifted into dark slumber as soon as his eyelids fell shut.

* * *

Marinette zombied her way through school the next day. And the day after that. And for the next week. There was a surprising lack of akuma out and about. She hoped Hawkmoth regretted his actions and had given up on being a villain, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

Adrien seemed to be having trouble, too. He had circles under his eyes, and they showed through the concealer. Nobody else said anything about it, but the dark haired girl was worried. He had done what she couldn't, and he was clearly suffering.

They had a patrol together soon. She would have to talk to him then. Marinette blushed, suddenly remembering the Chat Noir being Adrien thing, despite not being affected by it a mere two seconds ago. She hid behind her French textbook, Aliya chittering beside her.

She had to confront him about that. The whole "you're a famous model, how do you have time for this shit" thing. And also, apparently, having a crush on him. Both of him. Now that she really got the chance to stare at him for more than two seconds, it was easy to tell that Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir. She wondered if he would think the same thing once he found out her identity- Nope, no, definitely not. She backed away from that thought immediately.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was an ordinary and plain girl with little to no personality. Her insult to herself stung a little. But it was the truth! How could someone as well-rounded and beautiful as Adrien even care about her? The answer was that he didn't. He only cared about Ladybug, and she barely acted like a superhero outside of the costume. The girl sighed into her textbook. She couldn't afford to reveal herself, anyway. Adrien was rich and his father could afford extra security measures if they really needed it. Her parents were wealthy, but really only enough to afford the bakery and their child. They were content, and couldn't afford to be in danger.

She couldn't tell him who she was.

Maybe she could never tell him who she was.

The girl blinked at her book. Now wasn't really the time to think about romance anyway. Not when Adrien was so upset and everything. Too much had happened for her cute crush on him to be any sort of concern. The teacher called on her to answer a problem and she just stared until he switched to someone else.

Marinette definitely had to talk to Chat Noir and make sure he was doing okay. That much she could, and would, do.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette waited for a half hour at their usual meeting place, Ladybug suit on and ready to patrol, before she tried to call Chat Noir on her yo-yo. The dark haired girl had expected some sort of lateness, but not a no-show. Her red device flashed, and Adrien's face popped into view. His hair was mussed, and his eyes still had dark circles under them. Her heart ached, regret filling every extra inch of her intestinal tract.

"Hey, long time no Chat!" She grinned hopefully, but her attempt to lighten his expression failed. He looked just as upset as before her horrible pun.

"Sorry I'm late, Ladybug. I'll be there soon, I promise!" He seemed to be running. At least, that was what she could deduce from his weird breathing.

"Okay. Um, can we have an actual conversation when you get here?" Like they weren't having an actual conversation already. If it wouldn't pull a muscle, she would have kicked herself in the face right then.

"Of course. Four minutes!" He hung up. Marinette sighed at her dark screen, then tucked the yo-yo back into place around her hips. She didn't bother counting down the seconds until her partner's arrival. Instead, she tried to think of how to ask if he was okay. Which was a stupid question, because he obviously wasn't. Her hands balled into fists by her sides. Why was she so bad at this sort of thing?

"Okay, just… Adrien, are you okay? Ugh, no, that's so-" She uncurled her fingers and ran them through her hair.

"How about, your eyebags should be checked for terroristic acts because I'm really bad at breaking the ice!" Marinette shook her head. If anybody had really good ears, they would be laughing right now.

"I'll just stick with thanks for everything. That sounds a lot better than-"

"Why are you mumbling about terrorists?" Chat's voice practically smacked her sanity out of her ears.

"Oh, you're here! Are you a terrorist? Fuck." Ladybug slapped a palm into her forehead. This was much more embarrassing than the other thing she said earlier.

Adrien laughed, though. She grinned through her blush as he trotted closer.

"I mean, are you doing alright?"

"No, please, ask me if I have bombs. Do a full-body airport scan, I dare you!"

She smacked his arm gently, the playful scowl on her face covering up how worried she actually was.

"I'm not going to do that. You look like you haven't slept in a week, though. Are you okay?"

He glanced away, "I'm fine."

She didn't buy that for a second. "Look, I only asked because I'm not sure how to be worried. Or, rather, what to say because I'm worried. I mean-"

"If you stutter much more I might be able to guess your identity." He winked. Marinette glared, upset that he was trying so hard to deflect.

"Look, Mister Suave, thanks for your sarcasm. I said actual conversation on the phone, didn't I?" She huffed, all the air leaving her lungs in a quick burst. The inhale that followed was slow and measured.

"For real, though. Thank you for doing what you did. I don't know if I could have done that, even if the kid technically was dead beforehand. And you even went to talk with the mother afterwards. You didn't have to, but you did. I'm so thankful and so proud of you." She felt a deeper blush creep over her cheeks as Adrien shuffled in place, nervous energy obviously trying to escape. The dark haired girl stared at her shoes, "I just want you to know that there's no pressure on you right now. You don't have to come to patrols or whatever if you think you need time to think and sort through everything."

She heard his footsteps move a little closer, tentative and quiet. Ladybug glanced at his face. Adrien's eyes were downcast, mouth quirked in what could have been annoyance or pain. His arms and shoulders were close to his body, hands fidgeting like he wasn't sure what to do with them. She went back to looking at her own feet, which weren't moving around. He paused at arm's length.

"Ladybug, I want to talk to you about this. I want to complain about the nightmares and Sage and work and everything shitty that's happening to me right now."

Guilt crept over every inch of skin that she had. Her arms immediately crossed over her chest to protect her from any other horrible feelings, which was more likely to fail than not. Marinette hadn't been able to do her job and now Adrien was suffering, it was all her fault!

"But even just mentioning the consequences of my actions makes you feel guilty." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She kept staring at the ground, but covered his black clad fingers with her red ones.

"I don't want you to feel guilty about this. Not that what I want will do anything to change how you feel. So, I'm going to keep doing things as we routinely do, and I'm not going to talk about the issue unless you bring it up, okay?"

Marinette felt like the worst human being on the planet, but she nodded and squeezed his hand.

"Alright, then. Patrol like usual?"

Ladybug grinned at her partner like nothing was wrong at all, "sounds good to me!" Marinette followed after her partner as he sprinted over the rooftop and jumped onto the one below. Her legs were still shaky and she felt a lump at the back of her throat, but he seemed to be doing okay. She had to keep up, had to pretend like there was nothing else to say because if she cried in front of him they would both feel awful.

He had already had plenty of feeling awful, and she didn't want to be the source of any more of his pain.

The dark haired girl didn't think she could handle that.

Her spirits lifted as she and Chat resumed their usual patrol, her mind easing into his constant spray of chatter and jokes. Maybe he would be alright. Maybe, with time, they would both be.

* * *

Sage stared at her empty bowl of soup, then at the literal mountain of dishes in her sink. She had always been fairly awful at making herself do the household chores, but this was really the worst the dishes had ever been. She left the bowl on the table, resigning herself to being _that person_.

The woman tucked her dirty blanket around her shoulders, ignoring the musty smells as she pointedly ignored her son's bedroom on her walk down the hallway back to her own room. She couldn't look at any of his toys or clothes or anything yet. Her heart seized and her eyes watered just at the thought. She had been a mess at the funeral, all by herself except for Chat Noir. She had invited some work friends and some of her son's friends and family, but no one RSVP'd, so she went alone. She had used her son's ashes to plant a tree, a dogwood. His favorite.

Her hair spilled out of it's ponytail, the thin hair tie plopping on the floor. Sage stared at her bedroom ceiling. Her phone managed to find her hand and she scrolled through her messages. Coworkers offered their condolences, her boss demanded her return to work, Adrien Agreste sent her almost nothing but cat puns. She smiled at his good intentions. Tapped out a few letters, deleted them, tapped out a few more.

 _I think I'm going to go back to work tomorrow._

She curled up in her blanket, hair poking her in the eyes. When her phone buzzed it's response, she practically dropped it into the pile of dirty laundry that wilted next to her bedside table.

 _Sounds like the purr-fect plan! Let me know how that goes. :3_

Sage smiled at her phone, then frowned at the messy floor. There was barely an inch of visible hardwood. Her laundry machine hadn't seen use in more than a week. She could at least scoop up the dirty laundry and put it in a basket. Even if she couldn't throw it in the wash. Her brown hands carefully unfolded the blanket she had been hiding in and dug around for a laundry basket. It took her five minutes to find the outfit she had been wearing when she had found her son.

It took another five minutes for her to stop crying and just throw that skirt and shirt combination into the overflowing garbage can. That wasn't far enough out of sight or mind, so she trotted into the kitchen, grabbed a real trash bag from the unopened box in the cupboard, and shoved the whole mess into that. It was quickly tied shut and left just inside her apartment door to be taken to the dumpster later. Sage washed her hands and went back to collecting laundry.

One of her son's little shoes was trapped in a T-shirt, which spurred on more tears. She tossed it into her closet to be dealt with later and tried to catch her breath. When she checked the bathroom to clean her face, she found it to be the cleanest room in the house. The towel on the rack was dirty, just like the rest of her clothes, but the floor didn't have crumbs or spills and the tub was just as clean as it had been a week ago.

She didn't use the restroom for much, so that made sense. She tugged the towel off the rack and brought it to her overflowing laundry basket. Walking across a clean floor made her feel less like a depressed lump and more like a functional human being. She showered and brushed her teeth for good measure, tugged a scarf over her blow-dried hair, and set an alarm for the next day.

She could do this.


End file.
